Chapter 1

Crystal Schmeckpeper strutted through the Pilot Truck stop parking lot looking for a trick. It was another slow night even though the lot was full of big rigs. The loud sounds of the trucks idling and the smell of diesel filled the night air. She wore a white wife beater and some daisy dukes and the night breeze chilled her bare skin.

Through the truck windshields she could see the truckers staring at her. Their eyes feasted upon her body but none solicited her services. She hated this job but on nights like this she began to think she wasn`t that attractive. If you were walking through a truck stop parking lot and couldn`t get some horny lonely truckers to fuck you then you couldn’t be that pretty could you?

This wasn’t how she envisioned her life going. Back in high school she was one of the cool kids. She had dreams of leaving their small town Mississippi and seeing the world. She dated Keith Goodwin who played on the baseball team in the high school. He was the coolest guy in school. The plan was for him to go pro, then they would get married and she would travel to all of his games.

Keith didn’t make it pro. He honestly never made it out of town their hometown. He became one of the towns good ole boys. He drank heavy and started doing pills. He convinced Crystal to do a few tricks to support his habit. One trick turned into a couple before long it became her full time job. Keith using his reputation as a baseball player got a job on the towns police force. Now he could pimp Crystal out without worrying about law enforcement.

Crystal got sick of it after a while and refused to do it. A big argument started and like almost all cops Keith became abusive. He beat Crystal up pretty bad. She went to the hospital and Keith sat by her side. No one asked what happened. They patched her up and before long Crystal was back out at the truck stop.

Crystal had no real hope. Keith was so powerful in town that there was no way she could get away from him or stop the abuse. There was no way she could stop being a whore. Her reputation was ruined in town. She was known as the local lot lizard. She had no other skills or training so she just figured this was her life. Being whored out by her drug addicted abusive police officer boyfriend.

She walked the through the parking lot waiting for the tell tell sign of a customer. Suddenly she saw it. A truck flickered its lights at her when she came close to it. It was beautiful truck. A Peterbilt 359, highly refurbished, gun metal gray. This wasn`t one of the large trucking companies. Probably an owner operator that was obviously doing it quite well. Crystal approached the passenger side of the truck. Who she saw shocked her.

It was Jimmy Johnson. He was her classmate from high school. He was a tall lanky guy with black hair. That had had some of the same classes together all throughout school. He wasn’t very outgoing or overly popular. He was quiet, analytical. He always seemed to be five steps ahead of everyone else.

“Jimmy Johnson?” Crystal asked not believing it was him.

“Crystal Schmeckpeper” Jimmy said confidently. “Its been years.”

“Yes it has” Crystal said with a smile. “I haven’t seen you since graduation.”

“Yep” Jimmy said still happy to see her. “About as soon as I walked across the stage I went and got my CDL`s and hit the road. Never looked back.”

“What brings you back in town?” Crystal asked captivated about her classmates life.

“Just stopping into see family” Jimmy responded. “Its been close to a year since I came back and visited. I was on a route that came close by so I figured I would stop by and check out the old hometown. I`m glad I did since I ran into you.”

“Yea” Crystal said smiling. “It looks like you are doing so well for yourself.”

“I`m doing ok I guess” Jimmy said sitting back in his seat. “The money is great but it gets kind of lonely sometimes. But anyway I don`t want to hold you up from what you were doing. I just saw you and thought I would speak.”

“You aren`t holding me up” Crystal said. “Its been great running into you.”

Suddenly red and blue lights twirled through the night sky. Crystal knew exactly what that meant.

“I`ve got to go” Crystal said climbing down from the trucks steps. “Take care.”

Before Jimmy could respond Crystal had walked off back on her stroll in front of the trucks just as the police car turned in and shined its lights on her. This wasn`t good. She hadn’t made a dime tonight. Everything was slow even a dummy could see the truck stop was dead tonight but that wouldn’t mean anything to him.

The police car came to a stop right in front of her. Out stepped Keith Goodwin. He wore his unkempt uniform proudly and carried its authority in his swagger. He was officer Goodwin he was both the law and above the law at the same time. He ran this town.

“Hey babe” Keith said smiling at Crystal. “Just coming by to check on you. Word around town you ain`t been doing too much.”

“I`ve been doing my best” Crystal said fervently. “Honest I have.”

“I`m sure you have” Keith said in a more serious tone as he stood right in front of her. “How much you made tonight?”

“Keith” Crystal said trying to explain. “Its been dead out her tonight. I haven`t had not one customer.”

“Well that’s disappointing” Keith said sighing.

He turned to his side and whipped his nose before swinging his hand around and slapping Crystal. The speed and strength from his baseball days were on full display at the lightning speed at which he struck her. Crystal feel to ground and held her face sobbing.

Keith didn`t look down at his girlfriend sprawled out on the ground before him. He looked up scanning the cabs of the truck daring anyone who witnessed what had just happened to do or say anything about it. He knew they never did. These truck drivers were only here for a night and getting involved in some domestic dispute would only slow them down and get in the way of making money.

Crystal lay on the pavement crying. Not wanting to get up hoping one of the 18 wheelers would run her over and put her out her misery. She hoped that Jimmy didn`t see what happened. She hoped he didn`t see what she had become. She hoped someone would save her but she knew no one cared about a worthless lot lizard like her.

“You have one job” Keith started. “Its starting to seem like you can`t even do that right. I need two hundred dollars in my hand by morning and I don`t care what you have to do to get it.”

Without another word Keith walked back to his police car and sped off. Crystal heard the screeching tires and realized it was safe to stand back up. There was a bruise on her face. She didn’t remember if it was where Keith hit her or where her face hit the ground. She whipped the tears from her eyes. She had to get back to work. Most of all she hoped that Jimmy didn’t say any of what had just happened.

She looked over to his truck. The lights from Jimmy`s truck flashed again signaling for her just like before. She took a walk of shame she had never felt before. Yes she knew the feeling of climbing out the cab of truck after being railed or violated by a horny trucker but this was different. She didn’t care about them. Chances are she would never see them again. She meant nothing to them and they meant nothing to her but this was someone she knew that was seeing first hand what she had become and what she dealt with. She walked back to the truck and climbed on the side again.

“Get in” Jimmy said without looking at her.

Crystal complied without question. She sat in the passenger seat of the truck. They sat in silence for a moment.

“That was Keith Goodwin” Jimmy said breaking the silence.

“Yeah” Crystal responded.

“Does he do that often?” Jimmy asked. “Tell me the truth.”

“It happens every now and then” Crystal lied. “He loses his temper. He has a stressful job and I just do what I can to help pay bills.”

“You think I`m stupid” Jimmy snickered. “He`s pimping you out. I never did like that smug bastard.”

“You can make this better for me” Crystal said hopefully. “He said he wanted three hundred dollars by the end of the night. If I don`t get it things will be bad when I get home.”

She remembered Keith had demanded two hundred. Most guys never gave her the first amount they would try to talk her down and she figured she could compromise at two hundred. Best case scenario he would give her three hundred. It would be worth it for him. A couple of hundred bucks for a blowjob from the popular girl in high school. It would be worth it to tell the story at the class reunion.

“I can help” Jimmy said. “But not like that.”

“I don`t know how you can help then” Crystal said. “If I don`t get the money its going to be worse than what you just saw. I know you got it. What ever you can give me. What ever you want me to do for it I will make it worth it for you.”

“I can get you out here” Jimmy said making looking at her.

“No you can`t” Crystal said almost laughing. “I have no where else to go. My whole life is here.”

“Dosen`t seem like you have much of a life” Jimmy responded.

“Might not seem like much to you” Crystal snapped back. “But its all I got its all I know.”

“I can get you out of here” Jimmy said. “You can never have a descent life here. No matter what happens you are always going to be known as the truck stop hooker around here. You won`t be able to do anything with that reputation. Keith is going to keep you under his thumb as long as he can.”

“I know” Crystal said. “No way Keith would ever let me leave.”

“Keith has no power over you beyond the city limits” Jimmy told her. “Theres a whole world out there beyond this small town. No one knows who you or Keith are. No one knows what you were doing here. You can ride around on the truck with me until you figure out what you want to do with yourself. When ever you figure it out you are free to go.”

Crystal thought about it for a bit. She had always wanted a fresh start but never knew how one was possible. She could stay here and be and whored out and beat up for the rest of her life or she could take this opportunity. An opportunity that may never come again.

“Whats in it for you?” Crystal asked. “I`m going to be in this truck with you. I have no money. No clothes nothing. You would have to buy me food clothes and everything. Whats in it for you?”

“Just eat.” Jimmy said.

“Just eat?” Crystal repeated confused.

“Eat” Jimmy said again. “You are a little skinny for my taste. If you going to ride around with me I at least want to enjoy the view. So I buy you all the food you want and you sit in the seat and you eat it while I drive. Gain a little weight.”

“You want to fatten me up” Crystal said not believing what she was hearing.

“Yes” Jimmy repeated. “The choice is yours. I leave in five minutes. You need a new starts, I need a companionship. It’s the perfect exchange. You are free to go whenever you want. All I ask is that you sit over there and eat while I drive. What do you have to lose?”

Crystal thought for a minute. She didn’t have anything to lose. She didn’t know what was out there in the beyond the city limits. She didn’t know Jimmys real intentions but what ever they were they beat the life she had now.

“I will go” Kirsta said.